Starting a new job can be extremely stressful. It’s up to HRs to minimize the stress level and reduce the anxiety when introducing new employees to their job. Since HR practices are evolving, we call this process onboarding new hires.

Every new employee needs to go through an onboarding process. It’s a key component of getting to know the organizational culture and environment. We can agree that new hires can’t be productive from day one. Therefore, they need to be introduced to the company, its procedures, and its policies. What are some of the best practices to do so?

1. Welcoming board

Onboarding practices start way before the new hire’s first day. You need to prepare their workspace, organize their desk, get them a computer or a laptop, and ensure they get all the equipment they need. Besides that, welcoming gifts are extremely popular in most companies nowadays. Welcoming gifts usually include a pen and notebook, company t-shirt, and similar gadgets new employees could use daily.

Once the new hire arrives on their first day, ensure you take some time to greet them and introduce them to their team and colleagues. On top of that, a tour of the premises is essential. They need to get to know the company and obtain its spirit to become an active and productive employee!

2. Create a career path

Each employee has different ambitions and goals in life. New hires who have just arrived at the company need to have full insight into the advancement and promotion programs. Due to that, it will be a good idea to create a career path during the onboarding process. How is that done?

Career paths include all the tech and soft skills certain employee already has, wants to obtain, or needs to have. According to those, the HR team can organize learning and development events where employees get a chance to learn the missing skills. During the process, it will become clear what your employees’ main goals and desires are so you can organize development in that direction.

3. Assign a buddy or a mentor

Onboarding doesn’t end after the employee’s first day. Even the first week isn’t enough for people to truly get a grasp of company culture and its practices. Therefore, having someone who will guide the new hire through the learning process and introduction to the company is essential. So, assign a buddy or a mentor.

A buddy or a mentor is a person who has been in the company for a while and knows its practices extremely well. On top of that, a mentor needs to be open to teaching the new colleague how things function in the company, as well as assigning them tasks during their time in the company. This is one of the best and fastest ways of introducing a new employee to their role.

4. Regular check-ins with a manager

Did you know that in large companies, new hires rarely get a chance to talk to the manager or the owner of the business? This leads to more fluctuation and less loyalty to the business. So, how can you prevent that and make new employees more satisfied with their workplace?

Even though they have a mentor or a buddy, mentors are usually regular employees as well. So, frequently organize check-ins with middle or upper management. Provide new employees with regular feedback. That will help them achieve their maximum and become productive members of your team as soon as possible!

5. Encourage communication

Without communication, business, teams, and work wouldn’t be possible. Shy new hires might hesitate to meet other members of the team. So, HR must encourage in-house communication to integrate a new employee into the culture and work faster. How can you do so?

Communication is one of the biggest challenges companies face. Whether they work remotely or from the offices, employees need to communicate and cooperate with one another to complete tasks and achieve goals. Highlight the importance of employee communication and provide them with adequate tools they can undisturbedly communicate with. Not only will your teams be stronger then, but also they’ll be more engaged and productive!

6. Pay attention to mental health

Even though the usual onboarding process ends after 3 to 6 months, the care of your employees and team members should be limitless. One of the most important aspects of a healthy work environment is mental health. Since not everyone knows how to cope with stress and tricky situations, HR needs to pay attention to the mental health of the employees.

Did you know that older employees are usually more resilient? Many factors can be a cause of that, but one of the most important ones is experience. To detect burnout in the workplace look for the warning signs such as tiredness, depression, irritability, and similar. Organize support groups and teach your employees how to handle those situations and make a better distinction between business and private life.

Final thoughts

As you can see, we can’t single out the best onboarding practice that will help you achieve your goals. It’s a process that requires a dedicated team and HR who are willing to introduce new hires to the job. So, create a process each new employee will love by following these tips!